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Turbo Lover

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"Turbo Lover"
Single by Judas Priest
from the album Turbo
B-side"Hot for Love"
Released7 April 1986[1]
Recorded1985
Genre
Length5:33
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tom Allom
Judas Priest singles chronology
"Some Heads Are Gonna Roll"
(1984) 		"Turbo Lover"
(1986) 		"Locked In"
(1986)
Music video
"Turbo Lover" on YouTube

"Turbo Lover" is a song by the British heavy metal group Judas Priest that the band released as a single from their album Turbo. Both came out in 1986. Unlike the album, which reviewed mixed and often critical responses, most of the reception for this song has been positive, and it has been praised as a Judas Priest classic by music journalists.[4][5][6]

The song's lyrics alludes to motorcycle riding, and it broadly features an aggressive, sexual tone, with frontman Rob Halford having described the single as embodying "escapism".[7] Musically, it incorporates a synthesizer-based sound to the band's traditional type of heavy metal music;[6] one music magazine has compared the particular style of "Turbo Lover" to that of Kraftwerk.[8]

Lyrics

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The song's lyrics have been described as being about "auto"-eroticism.[9] An article by the musical publication Loudwire remarked that the track succeeded by "[c]elebrating the band's connection with motorcycle culture and everything leather".[5]

Frontman Rob Halford has said: "I just liked the analogy of the motorcycle as a euphemism for love. And 'I'm your turbo lover, Tell me there's no other.' It's got kind of a sexual undertone to it – which is fine. It's been done many times in rock n' roll: to use a machine, car, or motorcycle. It's just a fun bit of escapism more than anything else."[7]

Reception

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The music journalist Steve Huey, writing for the service AllMusic, praised the track as "a successful reimagining of the Priest formula" and otherwise stated in his review of the song's parent album, Turbo, that he viewed it "easily the best song on the record".[6] A piece published by Decibel Magazine described the single as "one of the classiest songs in [Judas Priest's discography]".[8] As well, the musical publication Loudwire ranked the song at number ten on its list of the "10 Best Judas Priest Songs".[5]

Charts

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Chart (1986) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10] 44

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 39.
  2. ^ Begrand, Adrien (5 April 2017). "36 Essential '80s Pop Metal Tracks". Stereogum. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ Hartmann, Graham (20 May 2013). "Judas Priest, 'Turbo Lover' (Live) – Exclusive Video Premiere From 'Epitaph' DVD + Blu-ray". Loudwire. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ^ Bowar, Chad (19 January 2017). "Judas Priest Unveil Live Version of 'Locked In'". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Hartmann, Graham (24 August 2012). "10 Best Judas Priest Songs". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "Turbo - Judas Priest". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b Prato, Greg (5 November 2020). "Rob Halford of Judas Priest: Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b Begrand, Adrien (29 December 2010). "Justify Your Shitty Taste: Judas Priest's "Turbo"". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. ^ Begrand, Adrien (20 June 2002). "Judas Priest: Turbo / Priest . . . Live!". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Judas Priest Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
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